Improvement in electric clocks



3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

R. J'. SHEEHY. ELECTRIC-CLOCK.

Patented Ju1y18,1'876.

MPETERS, PNOTU-UTHDGMPNEI. WASHINGTON D C 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

n. SHEEHY. ELECTRIC-CLOCK.

Patented July 18, 1876.

M. G. n W

NPETERS. PHOTC-LITMDGRAPHER., WASHINGTON, D. C.

3 Sheets-Shet 3.

R. J. SHEEHY.

ELECTRIC-CLOCK.

Patented July 18. 1876.

Fig.

NPETERS, FHOTO-LITHUGAPHER. WASHINGTON. ICI4 C.

i UNITED 'STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. sHEEEY, or EosToN, MAs'sAcEUsETTs.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS.

Specification forming' part of Letters Patent No. 179,873, dated July 18, 1876 application tiled March 20, 1876.

To all whom t may concern l Be it known that I, ROBERT J. SHEEHY, of Boston, in the county of' Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention having reference to Electric Clocks or Time-Pieces; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specih'cation, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure lis a top view, Fig. 2 a front elevation, Figs. 3 and 4 opposite side elevations, Fig. 5 a rear elevation, and Fig. 6 a longitudinal section, of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 7 is a side view of the ratchetwheel c, the two pawls u u, their carrying-levers t t, an armature-lever, s, armature r, and electro-magnet p, as employed in the auxiliary time-piece or indicator. Fig. 8 is a side elevation ofthe escapement-wheel and separate insulated pallets of the main clock, such igure showing the insulator of the wheel and its arbor. By means hereinafter described, a secondary clock, or any number of such, put in electrical connection with a main clock, may be. made to indicate fractions of seconds of time, and such may also be printed on a slip of paper, as occasion may require, especially in a horse or boat race.

In the said drawings, A denotes a clock i'or indicating time. In this clock, a is the escapement wheel, b its arbor, c d the escapementpallets, and d4 their arbor. The two pallets c d,1nadc ot' metal, are separate from each other and fastened to a connection-pieceor insulator, c, ofivory, glass, or vulcanite, this latter being fixed at its middle to the escapement-pallet arbor d4. 'Ihe escapement-wheel a. is also electrically insulated from its arbor b by a disk, j', oi' vulcanite, fastened to both concentrically. From the two pallets c clseparate circuit-wires g h are led to circuit-connections t i, fastened to a plate, it, of' vulcanite, fixed to the clock-frame Z. Touching the side of the escapement-wheel is a spring, m, projecting from a piece of vulcanite, n, iixed to the frame l. From this spring a circuit-wire, o, is led to an electro-magnet, p, constituting part of the auxiliary time-indicator B. An electric circuit or currents and battery being properly applied to the said magnet p, and

the wires g h o of the pallets c el and spring m, it will be seen that at every beat ot' each pallet the circuit of the magnet will be closed in order for the magnet to attract and draw up to it its armature r, which is attached to the shorter arm of a bent lever, s. The longer arm of this lever s, at or near its free end, is pivoted to the inner arms of two other levers, tt. (See Fig. 7.) To the outer arms of the levers t t two pawls, au, are jointed, they having between them, and serving to revolve, a ratchet-wheel, c, iixed upon the driving-arbor w of the auxiliary clock or time-indicator B. Furthermore, there is to the lever s a spring, x, which, fastened to the frame y of the auxiliary time-piece, serves to move the lever s in a direction opposite to that in which itis moved by the magnet.

By the conjoint operations of the 'spring and the magnet the lever can be moved so as to put in motion the auxiliary levers in a manner to cause their pawls to impart to the ratchet-wheel an intermittent rotary motion in one direction. arbor w andthe frame y is a dial, al, and there is also connected with such arbor a train, b1, of wheels for revolving four arbors, c1 d1 elfi, carrying hands g1 71.l 'il k1 for indicating upon the dial hours, minutes, seconds, and fractions of seconds, the dial being provided with suitable numbers, marks, a-nd divisions, all as represented.

Now, if we suppose the auxiliary time-indicator B to be situated in one place, and the main clock A in another or distant one, we have the means ot showing, by the indicator B, the time of the.A main clock and also the fractions of seconds, the main clock being supposed to indicate only hours and minutes.

In connection with the main and auxiliary clocks, or at the station oi' either, I employ an apparatus for printing on a strip of paper, at any instant of time, as may be desirable, the minute, second, and fraction of second indicated by the auxiliary clock, and expressive of that instant. y

This printing apparatus and auxiliary clock are particularly useful for timing a heat ot' a race and permanently recording such. Besides, they may also be employed to advantage for various other useful purposes.

Connected with the drivinge A temere In the drawings, the printing 'apparatus is shown at G, and maybe described as follows: ll is a type-wheel, having on its periphery a series of' types for printing seconds and fra-ctions thereof'. This wheel is xed on an arbor, m1, supported in standards al al, and provided with a ratchet-wheel o', all being arranged as shown. A lever, p', provided with an armature, q', and an electro-magnet, 1", therefor, carries a pawl, s', to engage with the ratchet'- wheel 0. A spring', t', arranged as shown, serves to pull the pawl' against the periphery ot' the wheel o.

The circuit-wire of the magnet rf, shown at n', leads to a bent spring, c', projecting from a piece ot' vulcanite, wf, fastened to the frame ot' the main clock. Directly over the free cnd of the spring c', and projected from the escapement pallet-arbor d4, is a metallic arm, .'r, as shown. At each beat ot' each pallet the arm x will be carried in contact with the spring, whereby the circuit will be closed, and the electro-magnet r be made to attract and move the armature q and lever p', thereby causing the type-wheel to be partially revolved.

Besides the type-wheel Z1 there is another type-wheel, y', for printing minutes. It is arranged with the wheel Z1 in the manner as shown, and ixed on a separate arbor, z', provided with a ratchet-wheel, a2.

Another lever', b2, xed to another armature, c2, (see Fig. 9, which is an inner end view ot' the magnet r and its two armatures,) to be worked by the magnet r', carries a pawl, d2, to actuate the ratchet-wheel a2.

With the two printing-wheels l1 y I employ a mechanism for carrying a strip of paper, feeding it along, and forcing it up to such wheels at such instant as it may be desirable to obtain imprints of the time. This apparatus consists, first, of an electro-magnet, e2, and its armature f2. The said armature is attached to the shorter arm of a lever, g2, provided with an elastic roller, h2, and two prongs, 7221'2, arranged as shown, particularly in Fio. l0, which is a top view ot' the printing-lever and its adjuncts. Near its free end the lever carries a feed-wheel, k2, and an elastic roller, 2. The feed-wheel has a ratchet-wheel, m2, fixed on its arbor, such wheel m2 being to work against a pawl, a2, pivoted to one of the standards al. The strip of 'paper tobe printed is to be run up between the roller ZZ and the feed-wheel 7a2, thence between the two prongs 2 i2 and the roller h2.

A spring', 02,1xed to the armature f2, serves to draw it back from the magnet. The magnet being placed in a circuit separate from the others, will, whenever such circuit may be closed, attract and move 'the armature, and consequently cause the strip of paper to be printed by the type-wheels. During each downward motion ot' the printing-lever, its feed-wheel will be partially revolved, so as to feed the strip of paper along ready for another imprint.

In order to increase the efficiency of the magnet r to cause it to attract to it the secondary armature c2, which is held oft' by a force greater than that required to attract the fellow armature, I make use ot' a resistancecoil 7 or an auxiliary battery in the circ-uit of the magnet.

In Figs. 3, 4, and 7, m3 represents a screw, which screws down through a stationary projection, a3, and directly over one of the pawls, u, for revolving the ratchet-wheel c upon the driving-arbor w of the auxiliary clock or timeindicator B. There is upon the screw maa check-nut, a, which screws against the projection n3, and holds tirmly the screw m3 from revolving. The said screw m3 is to act as a stop to the pawl to prevent it from rising too high, so as'to take more teeth of' the ratchet than may be required. To each of the pawls a I use such a stop.

In the apparatus as hereinbeore explained, I claim as of my invention as follows:

l. In combination with a dial, al, and a train, b1, substantially as described, (to indicate hours, minutes, seconds, and fractions of seconds,) the ratchet-wheel e, the two pawls yu u, their carrying-levers t t, the armaturelever s, spring m, armature r, and electro-magnetp. all arranged substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the ratchetwheel, carrying levers t t, two pawls, u u, the armature-lever s,sp1'ing x, armature r, and electro-magneti), all arranged essentially as specified.

3. In the clock, the separate escapementpallets c d, having separate circuit-wires g h, and connected with each other and their arbor d4 by an insulator, c, affixed to the latter, the pallets in such case being electrically insulated from each other and the arbor.

4. The separate esca-pement-pallets c (l, provided with separate circuit-wires g h, and connected with the escapement-arbor d4 by the insulator c, as described, in combination with the escapement-wheel a, connected with its own arbor b by an insulator, j', and provided with the circuit-spring m and wire o, all as set forth.

5. The combination ot' the magnet 9", its two armatures q c2, their two levers p b2, pawls s cl2, ratchet-wheels ol a2, two typewheels Z1 y', and their arbors m1 e', all arrangedand applied essentially as set forth. ROBERT J. SHEEHY. W itncsses R. H. EDDY, J. R. SNOW. 

